Goddess Group

Explore the Divine Feminine with the Goddess Group

The Goddess Group is a circle of women who are exploring their inner goddess through appreciation and participation in the arts, everything from crafts to fine art, to gardening and nature walks, to singing and dancing and drumming, to reading and writing, to cooking and sewing. The group formed following study of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s curricula about thealogy (the study of the feminine aspect of the Divine, i.e. the Goddess), “Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” and “Rise Up and Call Her Name.” Ritual, conversation, sharing, and caring are part of the group’s ongoing ministry to each other.

Meeting Time and Schedule:

The group typically meets the third Sunday, at 1:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. For more information on The Goddess Group, contact Myrna Adams West, atmyrnaaw@bellsouth.net or 770/725-5397, or Vivian Preston Sellers, at vpsellers@gmail.com.

Please note: Occasionally it is necessary to change the meeting times and/or space because of other activities at the Fellowship. Myrna will try to let you know in plenty of time when that is going to happen.

2019-2020 New Course: “Awakening the Sheroes Within”

The Goddess Group announces a new course/curriculum beginning January 20, 2019, “Awakening the Sheroes Within.” Based on the book, Awakening the Heroes Within, by Carol S. Pearson, the course will continue on third Sundays throughout 2019 and into the early months of 2020. We suggest that each participant have her own copy of the book, available locally or online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. If your purchasing power is low, please let Myrna know as soon as possible so that you can reserve a copy from the Goddess Group’s limited supply. We will make a few copies available to purchase (at full or reduced price) or to borrow, if you prefer, from the Goddess Group. The presenters would like for each participant to read Part One and complete the “Heroic Myth Index” before the first session on January 20. We can also send you a copy of the “Heroic Myth Index” via pdf, if you let us know. However, we do recommend that you have access to a copy of the book because there will be reading assignments for each session. This course is open to all women of UUFA and the surrounding community.

Please let Myrna know by January 13, 2019, if you are planning to attend so that we can be sure there are enough supplies and space.

October 20: Myrna & Beth will present Chapters 16 & 17, The Sage and The Fool. Participants should read Chapters 16 & 17 before the session.

November 17: Recipes from Our Spiritual Mothers, a Thanksgiving Feast.

December15: The Goddess Tea at Myrna’s

January 19, 2020: Chapter 18, “From Duality to Wholeness, A Life Stage Model,” and a review of what we’ve learned so far. Participants should read Chapter 18 before the session.

February 16: Chapters 19 and 20, “Gender and Human Development over the Life Span” and “Gender, Diversity, and the Transformation of Culture.” Participants should read Chapters 19 & 20 before the session.

March 15: Chapter 21, “Claiming Your Life Myth.” Participants should read Chapter 21 before the session.

April 19: Celebration and a preview of Persephone Rising, if appropriate.

Please note: Occasionally it is necessary to change the meeting times and/or space because of other activities at the Fellowship. Myrna will try to let you know in plenty of time when that is going to happen.

Projects and Activities

Current Outreach Project: End-of-the-year Holiday gifts for a DFACS girl

Periodic Sunday Services on the Goddess: From time to time the Goddess Group presents a Sunday Service honoring the Goddess (such as Earth Day or Mother’s Day) or presents a service to share what has been learned in the study of the Goddess.

Course Offerings

Cakes for the Queen of Heaven Part 1: In Ancient Times & Part 2: On the Threshold: Courses created for those who are interested in exploring women’s religious history, the discussion focuses on significant religious issues of Judaism and Christianity, and access to power; describing the ways in which these issues have affected our culture. Attitudes derived from religious philosophy and beliefs have had a profound effect on interpersonal relationships among women and men and on family patterns. They have had an equally profound effect on the power structures of all the institutions in our society. This program provides a vehicle by which adults may examine the historical roots of these phenomena and move toward affecting change in our society where that is judged to be desirable and necessary.

Rise Up & Call Her Name: A Woman-Honoring Journey into Global Earth-Based Spiritualities is a journey of thought and activity. It carries numerous qualities. Most important among these are–

Bringing awareness of the processes of nature into our contemporary spiritual life

Nurturing self-respect in women and respect for women in men by making known the range of emotions and actions attributed to female deities and the respect accorded them in many spiritual traditions

Expanding respect for Earth-based spiritual traditions as well as the Earth-honoring aspects of several well-known religious belief systems

Opening doors to cross-cultural interaction by fostering an appreciation for the richness of diversity

The Goddess in the 21st Century

In Cakes for the Queen of Heaven and Rise Up & Call Her Name, we learned much about the Goddess. We have seen how she is represented in cultures around the world from ancient times into the 20th Century.

The Goddess in the 21st Century, developed by members of the UUFA Goddess Group, focuses on some of the wonderful women on whose shoulders we stand and introduces us to some modern manifestations of the Goddess.

The first session sets the stage by reviewing what we have learned about ancient Goddesses and making some comparisons to modern women. In subsequent sessions, you can expect to learn about Body Connections with the Goddess Spirit; Santa Muerta, the Goddess of Death, who is worshipped in Mexico and elsewhere (a favorite of some LGBTQ+ folks, as well); American Women from Pocahontas to Michelle Obama, who exhibit Goddess characteristics in modern ways; how advertising depicts women; “Sita Sings the Blues,” a short movie about a young modern woman; AND you will have an opportunity to share your own shero in a unique way at a closing session that will include an Iced Tea Party.

This course was offered in 2018.

Becoming Women of Wisdom: Marking the Passage into the Crone Years: This new thirteen-circle curriculum is designed to prepare women to take on the important role of Wise Women in their communities. Becoming a Wise Woman takes time and can be enriched by being in dialogue with other women. The creators of this curriculum have developed a process that involves monthly gatherings to explore what it means to become a crone, culminating in a ritual celebrating our new status as Women of Wisdom. The curriculum is designed to open participants to the power, wisdom, and insight of the mature self and to challenge us to use our wisdom for the good of the world through action and compassion.